Nearly Extinct: Prologue
by FennecOfTheDessert
Summary: River Maury is a parallel world counterpart of Roy Mustang. Except, this parallel world is not the Machine World, but one where alchemists are seen as evil witches and wizards! River, the last alchemist alive, is determined to go to 'Shamballa' and seek refuge there, and preserve Alchemy and Alkahestry. But, with the anti-alchemist government hot on her heels, will she make it?
1. Chapter 1: All Seems Well

River dared not breathe. She listened hard for the signal she knew had to be coming. Then, as if on cue, a hoot came floating across the still night air. Time to act.

The super-continent of Sklavia used to be a multitude of islands. 67 of them, to be exact. After the Great Merge, those 67 islands were all squished into one big super-continent, and Sklavia became a melting pot of cultures and languages.

Not making a sound, River climbed up onto the building's rooftop. Her balaclava itched. She resisted the urge to scratch or sneeze.

In 1290 BCE, the now landlocked, once island-nation of Micidona, led under Alexander the Great, began conquering neighboring island-nations. As Alexander conquered and Micidonia expanded, this territory was slowly being known as the Republic of Alexandria.

She scanned the streets below. Not many enemy troops. Another owl's hoot drifted lazily, carried this time by a slight breeze. River did not like this meager, dry, desert breeze, but it was preferable to the 120-kilometer-per-hour blizzards of the Olps. She'd been sent there on multiple missions and had no intention of going there ever again.

River did a head count of the lopsided, leaning tents. They had been haphazardly erected using bone-dry twigs and cloth so patched and dirty it was unrecognizable. River felt a small twinge of satisfaction: the enemy was definitely running out of resources. And warriors.

The owl's hoot sounded again, more urgent this time. River silently drew from a small leather pouch on her waist, a small, cylinder object. A bone flute. She raised it to her lips and blew. A nightingale's warble played high and clear, albeit softly. She stopped after playing the passage three times. Three owl's hoots came in reply. Alright. Data has been gathered, and the mission is complete. Time to head back to base. Two shrill chirps escaped from her flute. Affirmative. With not so much as a rustle, River bounded silently across the rooftops and disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2: All Is Not Well

In 1552 CE, Tomas Neücomen established a scientific method for the art of alchemy. After that, The Republic of Alexandria, or just Alexandria for short, made significant innovations in technology. Major breakthrough after major breakthrough helped Alexandria become the most technologically advanced society on the planet Ärthe.

The shrill wails of the enemy's alarms filled the stifling air with blasts of noise and tension. Damn. Who messed up this time? They must've tried something risky and gotten caught. Probably the Messerschmitt sisters. Milana must have picked a fight with someone. Probably because they'd called her short. River sighed. Milana was 12 now. She should know better.

This innovation period continued until 1881, when Alexandria fell prey to a pandemic of The Great Plague. Caused by the bacterium Epiermophytdon minsculeosum, it killed within 72 hours. Anyone who survived would have seriously stunted growth. Alexandria was able to survive through sheer luck and willpower, but their political and economical systems were crushed. A group of extremists, who called themselves the Keine Chemiker, rose to power by blaming alchemists for the pandemic and the subsequent governmental collapse…

River raised the binoculars around her neck to her eyes. Hmph. Yes, Milana Messerschmitt was at it again. And what was that? Millicent Gloster runs in to help and kicks a guard in the face? Not good. No, no, no. Agh. Amanda Messerschmitt runs in to help her sister? NO! Were they all forgetting their training? Then the worst thing possible happened. Dormouse, Dormouse Havilland, the walking databank who had never been in an actual battle before decides to hop in and join the action? WHAT? That must mean the rest of the division is gone…

The Kein Chemiker government won the hearts of the masses. Alchemy hadn't been popular in the first place, and the new government was headed by an actual god, Blandley! He could turn sunflowers into roses and do other miracles like that. Well, it was all just alchemy, by the masses didn't need to know that…

The motto of Alexandrian Alchemists is "for the people, by the people". Therefore, when Blandley used what was obviously alchemy to be 'god', all the alchemists in Alexandria denounced him as a fraud. This did not go over well with the un-alchemically-informed people, and soon alchemists were being dragged from their homes, beaten, and lynched. They did not fight back, for their motto was "for the people, by the people", and an unspoken rule was that alchemists cannot kill other humans.

No, the rest of Division 3 wasn't dead, not really. Leona Martin was trying to talk her way out of this situation. Not working. Everybody else was captured after Dormouse had a gun put to her head. This was one heck of a situation. Then a gunshot, and a bullet whizzed by River's head. Black shapes were converging in on her, threatening to surround. River did the best thing she could - jump off the building half-reduced to rubble, right into enemy territory where all other members of her division were being held hostage.


	3. Chapter 3: A Sticky Situation

By 1900, there were ten known alchemists left. They were being treated somewhat like non-human animals- people would talk about when they would be 'extinct'. At this time, all innovation had pretty much stopped and stayed put, and no new inventions had been patented for almost 13 years. Also at this time, Alexandria, which had lost most of its territory during The Great Plague, started conquering back the lands that were once hers. It was a long, bloody process, for 66 other nations on Sklavia had to be subdued and annexed. No nation went easily. At this point in time, 27 other countries remain to be conquered, including the desert country of Ishreland, which is being conquered right now.

River landed on the sandy street with a soft thud. It wasn't a street, really, but it used to be one. The bombs from both countries' armies had carved an uncountable number of potholes and craters, big and small, into the cobblestone strip. River had to be careful. One stumble could reveal her position. And that could be fatal.

Her feet padded near silently across the sand-covered cobblestones. She could hear them now. The Ishrelians. Blasting questions at the top of her lungs.

"Where are you from?" One of them asked, his voice a deep baritone, made hoarse and scratchy from the dry desert air.

"That's what I want to know! Where are we?" That was Leona. Her usually smooth voice sounded rather high pitched and squeaky now.

Footsteps could be heard coming in River's direction. She paused. Suddenly two hands grabbed her harshly and twisted her hands behind her back. She was marched into the center of the sand-covered market square.

"Found another one!" her captor said gruffly, shifting his grip ever so slightly. River looked around. Nobody had any guns. Better risk it; at least there was a chance they might get out alive.

River kicked the guy holding her in the shins. He momentarily slacked his grip, and that was all River needed. Wrenching her hands free, she karate-chopped the base of the neck, where his spinal cord sat. The man dropped to the ground in agony. Then, the soft _chak_ of a gun being cocked. Not good. They weren't out of ammunition like they had believed. So Shaolan was supplying the Ishreland Militia with weapons after all. River took a deep breath and held her hands above her head. There was only one way out…

In reality, there were still some alchemists left in hiding. In Alexandria, anyway. Beyond Ishreland, whose citizens live in the Great Desert, there was another type of alchemy, called by its practitioners as Alka-hemi, and referred to by Alexandrians as Alkäestry. This practice, though, was often unstable and only used for simple medicinal purposes, whereas Alchemy was used for a multitude of purposes. The two practiced never mixed because of the Great Desert.

The government had cracked down on alchemists, and anyone with any ties to the subject were persecuted. To protect their kids, some parents even left them by the wayside to be picked up by the military and be integrated into its system, where vigorous background checks ensured there were no alchemist infiltrators. The best place to hide. _If you didn't use alchemy…_


	4. Chapter 4: An Alchemist

~ A/N: Hi, Fennec of the Dessert here! You may have noticed that I was referring to River Maury's team as a _division_. Welp, it turns out that, in military terms, a _division_ consists of 10,000 to 25,000 people and is headed by a Major General... Which is not what I want in terms of River's 9-person team. So from now on, I'll be referring to Maury's team as a _Squad_. Sorry for the confusion! ~

Blandley was certain all alchemists had been wiped out. There were no sightings of alchemic light, nor had there been any reports of alchemical symbols for the past two years. He was so sure, the hunt for alchemists had been terminated, although people were still expected to report any sign of alchemy if they saw or heard about it. Now, it was time to get rid of Alkäestry as well. Then he could truly say that he had his payback.

River held her hands above her head and looked around. She was surrounded. Twelve personnel in total were surrounding her, eight of them still holding the rest of her subordinates. Though they seemed to be equals, she was still Squad 3's leader. She had given the order to infiltrate and sabotage the enemy, and now it was time to get her squad out of enemy territory. It was up to her.

"_Don't use alchemy. Never use it, unless, unless you are going to die and you need to survive. You must not be discovered…"_ River recalled her mother's last words to her. Well, mom, I'm going to die if I don't use alchemy. This justifies the use of alchemy, doesn't it?

River slowly, slowly put her hands behind her head, partially protecting it and her neck, which was seen as a universal act of surrender. River slowly, slowly, put her right forefinger into her left sleeve, feeling for the tiny slip of paper she knew was there. Found it. Damn. The sun was coming up. How long had she been in enemy territory? She touched it gingerly, and a blue glow emanated from her left sleeve, made dimmer by the now rapidly rising sun. A mist began to form, obscuring the view of everybody. Then, it began to crystallize. A gunshot rang out, and River felt a shock of pain from her eye. Then a distant yelp of pain. River hurriedly finished the transmutation and instinctively put a hand to her right eye. A little bit of blood stained that hand red. The mist was scattered in an instant by the sun, who mercilessly beat down on them all.

"Sergeant! Sir, are you alright?" It was Dianna Voss, her closest subordinate. The sun beat down on River's long, black braid, baking it. There was a crack. The ice around the enemy was melting. Footsteps and talking in the distance. Ishrelian Troops were waking up.

"Let's go!" River hissed through clenched teeth.

"Havilland…" Diana pointed to Dormouse, who was bleeding profusely from her left leg.

"Pick her up. Move out!" River hissed again.

They ran, bounding across demolished rooftops, carrying a whimpering Dormouse back to Camp.

"Do NOT tell anyone what you just saw," River threatened the Squad. "That's an _order_ from your _Sergeant_!" River hardly gave orders. This was serious. Alchemy was banned, after all. But she had just saved both the squad's lives and skins so there was a silent agreement to her statement…


	5. Chapter 5: Back

Even though most people in the Alexandrian Army owed their lives to Squad 3, which collected life-saving intelligence, not many people knew about Squad 3, and even fewer people had ever seen its members. This was not only because its members slept during the day and carried out missions at night, but also because of the fact that the military did not want enemy nations to know about their cream-of-the-crop Reconnaissance squad and heightening security. So when River Maury and the rest of Squad 3 came stumbling into Camp in broad daylight, there was a little bit of '_Huh? Who are they? Where did they come from?'_ …

The merciless desert sun beat down on soldiers eating their breakfast rations. It was only around half-past six, but the eardrum-shattering _BOOM_s of heavy artillery could already be heard in the distance, mixed into the babble of voices and clinking of utensils. A small group of nameless soldiers, a drop of water in the sea of people, sat on empty wooden boxes. They were eating. It was rather quiet there, away from the great whirlwind of activity at the center of Camp.

A soft crunch, and the pit-pat of feet. Labored breathing. The drip of blood. A female voice whispering, "it's okay. You're gonna be fine."

The nameless soldiers looked up. There were eight or nine people walking swiftly. They were not making much sound. The group of walking soldiers kept going, the leader of the group's long, black braid swishing black and forth, her left hand over her left eye. There was blood dripping down her face. She had a sniping rifle strapped to her back. Then two more, carrying a third, whose leg left a trail of bright red blood in the dusty-yellow sand. Then five more, all trailing blood or holding something still, or limping,yet at the same time carrying boxes.

They were wearing all black uniforms. But it wasn't the standard Alexandrian military-issue ones, but high-collared, long-sleeved turtlenecks and soft long pants. They had what looked like handkerchiefs hanging from their neck, probably used to cover their mouths and noses during a sandstorm. They were heavily armed with weapons from guns to daggers to a double-bladed staff. Then the leader turned around, took the bloodied hand off her eye, and started signing with hand signals. One looked like a gun, another a cross and others indecipherable motions. The squad seemed to understand and the two carrying the injured personnel made a left turn. Oh. To the medic tent. It was okay, Dornier, the wonder medic, could probably fix him. The other soldiers kept going straight - to the Command Center.

Watching their retreating backs, the nameless soldiers realized something with a start. All but one of the personnel were women. No, probably girls, to be exact. They were short, kids who survived the Great Plague, probably. But the thing that bothered the nameless soldiers was that none of them looked older than 18. The man -no, boy- looked fifteen or so. _What are the higher-ups doing, bringing in kids like that?_ Then it hit them. This was a Recon Squad, part of the Special Ops Division. They had just returned from a mission. They had collected intel - intellligence- and were going to give a report…


	6. Chapter 6: Report

The six of them filed into the Frontal Command Center; the Lieutenant Colonel's office. They immediately snapped their left hand up in a salute. "Sir!" They reported.

"Maury. Gloster. Hawker. Junkers. Martin. Messerschmitt. Where is the other Messerschmitt, Havilland, and Voss?"

"Sir! Havilland was shot in the leg. Voss and Messrerschmitt took her to the Medic." River reported.

"Well? What intel?"

"Sir! The country of Shaolan is indeed supplying the Ishrelian Military with weapons-" River Maury started.

"Especially 9mm Shā-Yīng Rifles and 5mm Yè-Yǎn combat pistols." Milana Messerschmitt supplied.

"Also they have around 500 troops in left. Their casualties from our last assault are 320 dead, another 500 injured. The plan is working." Robert Hawker continued.

"Their plan is to divert us in sectors 20-30, then swoop in and crush our left flank," Leona Martin quipped. "And I also fed them false intel that sectors 3 and 5 have been secured by us. So hopefully they'll open fire on themselves."

"I tapped their communications network. Listen in!" Tacey Junkers pulled out a small radio. The Lieutenant Colonel took it.

"Very good. Anything else?" he asked, hopeful.

"Nothing, sir," Millicent Gloster replied. "Other than the fact that Havilland was shot…"

"That is all?"

"Yessir." The team responded, saluted and left.

"C'mon, let's get you to the medic." Dianna Voss was back.

"Right." said River.

River lay in a bed in the Medical Tent. It was nighttime. She hadn't been called to go on a mission. Probably because her eye was shot. Havilland, pale and sweating profusely, was in the bed next to her. River closed her good eye. The eye patch on her shot-out one, her right, prevented her from seeing anything. River sighed, and slowly but surely, fell asleep.

"_Mama!" A young River Maury called, her short black hair gleaming in the strong sunlight of southeast Alexandria. The crashing waves sounded off in the distance. _

"_Yes?" A woman, with River's chocolate eyes, answered. _

_River looked up. The sky had turned dark, and her mother's form grew slimmer. Her father, who was standing next to her, started to erupt in boils. Soon they both collapsed. They turned to dust and were blown away by the wind. _

"_Mama! Papa!" the young River cried. She looked at her hands. They were fine. _

"_They're gone forever," said a big figure behind her. _

_The young river gasped. _

River woke with a start. It wasn't as bad as some of the dreams she'd had before, but it wasn't the best. She let out a sigh. Dormouse Havilland was snoring softly. River lay back down.


	7. Chapter 7: Suspected

"Maury!"

River blinked. Her new eyepatch itched. Harsh desert sunlight filtered through the thin cloth of the tent, not doing anything to ease the stench of the dead and dying. It was daytime.

"Sergeant Maury!"

Someone was calling her. It was Havilland. She looked over to her left.

"Yes?"

Havilland was standing, her short, grayish-blonde hair looking completely devoid of color inside the tent. Dornier must have patched her up during the night.

"There are officers outside looking for you!"

"Right." River carefully threw off the blankets and got to her feet. Her uniform was on the table, its slate-grey woolen cloth and blue border illuminated partially by the sunlight. She put it on and went outside.

River blinked. There were two men wearing crisp uniforms. One was holding a sheaf of papers in his hand. They were clean. _Huh. Probably from Central. What for?_ She clicked her heels and saluted.

"River Maury?" One of them, the guy with the glasses, asked.

"Yessir."

"I'm Henry Douglas from Central HQ. I'm the head of the Personnel Affairs Bureau. Here are your orders…"

The other guy- no, woman- started reading a sheaf of papers.

"River Maury. Identification number ISP035REC125037. Correct?"

"Yessir." A bead of sweat slid down her neck.

"You have been convicted of one count of treason: the use of Alchemy. You will be executed without further notice at the Central Execution Ground on March 30th, 1902. Please proceed quietly. We look forward to your cooperation."

There were murmurs and mutters going through the circle that had formed around them.

_What? Who told them?_ River's eyes went wide. _No, don't show them weakness. Deny, deny, deny. _She narrowed her eyes, then feigned a look of surprise.

"What?"

"You heard me," Henry Douglas from Central HQ retorted gruffly.

"What?"

"You're an alchemist, _River_," He spat. "Now get in the car!"

River didn't move. "What about..."

"They'll be executed too. And maybe Dornier..." Henry smirked. "Alchemy is _ILLEGAL_ after all…"

There was no point in being polite anymore. "Well, too bad, because I'm not an alchemist!" River narrowed her chocolate eyes. There was an inextinguishable fire in them. Henry took a step back. He paled. Then emptied a round into River's chest. She fell. The Messerschmitt sisters stepped forward. They fell too, the desert sand soaking up the blood like a sponge.

"Juliet." He pointed at the three bodies, and then at the car. Juliet dumped the bodies in, and they drove off.

River's last memory was somebody screaming, "Stop! Stop…"


	8. Chapter 8: What?

There was a clang as River turned over in her sleep. _Wait, CLANG_? Her chest ached. But so did her back and head. And fingers, toes, you name it; everything hurt all over. Even her tail. _Wait, TAIL_? River tried to sit up quickly from her fetal position, but it turned out to be more of a sluggish spine-straightening movement. She groaned and opened her eyes. She could see bars. _Wait, BARS?_ She rubbed her eyes. Yes, bars. She looked over at the fluffy, sandy-yellow thing with a black tip resting on the light blue clothing covering her lower waist. Yes, a tail. It moved slightly. Her lower back ached. She scanned the scene beyond the bars. Several people talking.

"Sedate her…" One said, and that was followed by a couple of grunts. And kicking. "Done!" a younger, more hushed voice said.

"What animal this time?" a third asked.

"Bear. Brown Western Grizzly." the first one answered.

"His Godliness will put them in their proper place." the second one squeaked. Then three pairs of footsteps receding.

River turned on her back, her head resting on her hands. Her lower back and a forgein appendage screamed in agony. She slowly sat up and looked around. She was in a cage. And through the cold, grey bars of her cage, she saw there were more of them. And there was somebody in the cage across from her. River squinted. Oh, it was Havilland! Dormouse Havilland. Crap. She'd been captured too. But, she had animal's ears. And, what was that? A _squirrel's tail_? River suddenly gasped. She felt her back and hips. There, sticking out at the base of her spine, was a _tail_. Then she felt her head, where there was the most throbbing. _Gah! _ Two large, furry things were sticking out of it. _Oh, that must be ears._ She was surprisingly calm. They hadn't bound her hands, which was a good thing. _Hmph. Dimwitted fools. Now, who else is here?_

River was brought food three times a day. She was healing nicely. She also had found out that most of her former subordinates were here, too. Dormouse havilland was part squirrel. Leona Martin purred like a cat now. Millicent Gloster was trying to hibernate, she was part bear and it was winter after all. Tacey Junkers, part rabbit. Robert Hawker, ironically had feathers and eagle eyes. Dianna Voss, who always complained about her family, was now part dragonfly and rather sad about it. The Messerschmitt sisters… they'd each gotten a bullet (or five) to the head and were gone.

River sighed. She closed her eyes and sat in a cross-legged position, like her alchemy master had taught her. She thought of Milana and Amanda. Milana was rather short, even for someone who'd been hit by the Plague (it stunted growth), and her worst button to push was to suggest that she was short. Amanda was taller, and always wore heavy armor. She was human, no doubt, but just so _tall_. Milana did not like it one bit. River thought about the bod the two shared. Sisterly love, it was called. But they'd always seemed so close. _At least they died together. May Truth grant them peace._ River sighed again, but her train of thought was broken.

A clang sounded.

"River Maury. His Holiness Blandley is requesting your presence," yelled a voice, completely unaware of River's now-sensitive fox ears. "Get up, _animal_. His Holiness is waiting."


	9. Chapter 9: More?

**_A/N: I don't own the concepts of 'chimeras', '"All is one, one is all"' , and 'just alchemy in general'. Now to the story and beyond!_**

_Not again!_ Was River's first thought. The previous meeting had gone quite badly. The tall, black haired man was Blandley, apparently. He'd asked River for information on Soul Stones. He'd asked her if she wanted to join him, putting alchemy, in his words, " to use". She'd also gain immunity from the public, not to mention better living conditions and power. River refused, and Blandley began to shout at her. One question. "WHERE ARE THEY?" He'd yelled. River stated she didn't know. She was then sent back to her cell. And became an experiment for chimera research.

Darn. one of the guards pushed her, making River stumble and snap out of her reverie. They were here. The elaborately carved door swung open, revealing a tall, black haired man sitting on what could only be described as a throne-like chair. The red flag of Alexandria hung behind him on the wall, the gold, double-headed eagle surrounded by ten white stars. The man scowled. River scowled back. River had already learned that politeness didn't work on people like Blandley.

"River Maury. I see you again," Blandley droned, his silhouette looking ominous because of the fire flickering behind him. River stayed silent. "Now, care to tell me where the rest of you have all gone?"

"The rest of me?" River questioned. _Okay, so this guy wants information. He won't kill me just yet because he wants it. Classic scenario, we learned about it in boot camp. Act dumb_. "I am all here."

"Yes, you are," Blandley continued droning. _Okay, _River thought. _Blandley's acting cool too. He knows this scheme._ "But that is not my question. I meant, the rest of your lot."

"My lot?"River continued, slowly. _Blandley has something he doesn't want to give away. But he wants information, too._

"Yes."

"That's what I want to know. Is the rest of my team here? Are they okay-" She began, but Blandley cut her off.

"I'm not asking about your team," Blandley's brow twitched slightly. "I'm asking about your parents."

River suddenly understood. A look of comprehension and surprise crossed her face and she struggled to keep it hidden.

"Yes. That's right, where are they?" Blandley pressed, sounding a tad eager.

"My parents. Right, they're dead. From the Plague." River's voice became slightly monotone. She'd learned that life still moved forward no matter what. All is one, one is all.

"I'm not asking about your parents. So, tell me, where are the rest of the alchemists? They must be around here somewhere!" Blandley had taken a gamble, revealing some information. River couldn't hide the look of complete surprise that had crossed her face. This was the bombshell of the century. Blandley's brow furrowed. River realized he'd made a mistake.

"No idea," River said promptly. Then to rub it in, she said, "they exist?"

Blandley cracked. "Back to your cage. You'll all be executed next week." He ordered, and the two men grabbed her and dragged her back to the cold, hard cage with those metal bars and hard, sharp edges. River's deep chocolate, near-black eyes had a calculating gleam in them.


	10. Chapter 10: Things Get Complicated

**A/N: I don't own any Fullmetal Alchemist characters, from either anime or the manga. Nor do I own the concept of 'parallel worlds' or 'transmutation circles'. Now, to the story and beyond!**

River tapped the bar of her cage lightly. It resounded with a light _tak_, _tak, tak, tong, tong... "3div atten. esc plan init…"_

Soon, the room was full of quiet _taks_ and _tong_s. Each aspect of the plan was thought over, revised, and double-checked again. _TAK-TAK-TAK-TONG_! Danger. The cell was silent as a not-quite-white-lab-coated scientist banged open the door.

"QUIET!" he shouted, before turning back around and slamming the door behind him.

River mentally shrugged. Who put salt in his coffee today? _...tak tooong taktaktak. _

-o-0-o-

River's ears perked up. The past few hours, she'd gotten used to the aching pains everywhere, but especially in her chest, lower back, and head. She'd also accustomed to being more sensitive in her hearing, smell, and eyesight. What was it this time? A babble of hushed, excited voices carried towards them.

"...decided to execute the prisoners tomorrow...new one caught…"

_What?_ River glanced at Dormouse Havilland, who mirrored her own shocked expression. River quickly straightened her face and pretended to be sleeping as the door opened. The cage above Dormouse was opened, and river only caught a glimpse of the new prisoner. Her eyes widened. It was none other than the wonder medic, Darby Dornier! One of the scientists aimed a kick at River's cage, and she shrunk back until the room's door closed again. This was unexpected.

-o-0-o-

"_Yes. We know."_ Leona Martin tapped.

"_We need to revise the plan,"_ Robert Hawker added, from a cage adjacent to River's. "_We're in the center of the compound, near the top."_

"_I don't know about you,"_ Dianna Voss tapped hurriedly. "_But I don't think Dornier's coming back."_ That's probably true, River thought, because if Dornier had accepted the deal to do research and fight in exchange for her life, we definitely won't see her again.

"_She can't be back."_ Leona Martin reasoned. "_Either she cut a deal or she's dead."_

"_True,"_ Dormouse Havilland agreed. "_But what about Amanda and Milana? They were shot, but if they somehow healed Sgt. Maury and I, then couldn't they heal them?"_

"_They might not have been alive,"_ Tacey Junkers sounded downcast. "_There's no equipment that can bring back the dead."_

You can't ever bring back the dead, River thought. Master drilled that into me a long time ago.

"_Either way,"_ She tapped, with some finality. "_We need to get out of here or die trying."_

-o-0-o-

Everyone sat around the dinner table in Granny Pinako's kitchen. Al and Ed sat beside each other, devouring food with monstrous bites.

"Ed! Save some room for dessert!" Winry laughed.

Mustang saw a golden opportunity. "Careful, Fullmetal, at this rate you'll grow wider than you are tall, which is extremely easy for you to do!"

"I'M NOT SHORT, GODDAMMIT!" Ed screamed in response, nearly upsetting the table.

Mustang only laughed some more and helped himself to another slice of apple pie.

Suddenly, the room glowed purple as a transmutation circle drew itself on the ceiling. It quickly receded, and in its place a purpleish hole formed in its place. A person fell out of the hole and landed on the table, facedown in Al's apple pie. A few seconds later, Another person fell out of the same hole, which then sealed itself up. The second person, who looked identical to the first, rolled off the first person, sat up, and blinked. People were looking at her and Amanda.


	11. Chapter 11: Where ARE We?

**A/N: I don't own any Fullmetal Alchemist characters. Or the concept of parallel worlds and "just alchemy in general". Now, to the story and beyond!**

The single electric bulb lighting their shabby cell went out. It was a good thing River could hear very well. She activated the transmutation circle she'd carved on her hand using a sharp edge in her cage. A dull red light lit up the room as River sliced her cage's lock in half using a jet of pressurized water. She pushed open the door. It creaked. She paused, then slid between the narrow opening. She padded across the floor to Dormouse Havilland's cage. A few jets of water later, everyone was free.

-o-0-o-

Everyone looked down at the two people- no, children- on the table.

"Aw, this was supposed to be the day before we left!" Ed exclaimed, looking up at the scorch marks that the circle had left. "And-"

"Who are they, brother?" Al cut off his brother's whining.

Colonel Hawkeye frowned. Something wasn't right. She glanced at Brigadier General Mustang, whose frown mirrored her thoughts. Mustang opened his mouth to speak but Winry Rockbell beat him to it.

"What happened?" She questioned.

-o-0-o-

This shouldn't be this easy, River thought as they tiptoed down a dark, deserted hallway. She turned left and went up a flight of stairs, following the faint draft of fresh air. She stopped the group as faint footsteps could be heard coming their way. A night watchman. They held their breath and waited. Night Watchman passed them. River and the others tiptoed on. Finally, a door. She pushed it open. Freedom!

-o-0-o-

Milana Messerschmitt looked up through her golden bangs. People were staring at her and Amanda. Amanda! Cold fear ran through Milana's veins as she took Amanda's pulse. There was no pulse. Tears streamed down her face.

"Amanda!" she shouted, but in vain. "Amanda! Amanda, can you hear me? Wake up!" Suddenly, her face turned to an impassive mask as she remembered something Amanda had said after they'd been picked up by the Alexandrian Army. If I die, I don't want you to cry over me. I want you to be happy. You just have to trust me on that one. Milana wiped away her tears. She knew it was her younger sister's greatest wish. Milana gulped.

"What happened?" a blue-eyed girl with long hair asked. Milana stared blankly at the people.

"Where did you come from?" A black-haired person added.

Milana knew that face. The shape of the eyes, the way those bangs hung casually no matter how hard she tried.

"Sgt. Maury?" Milana hiccupped.

-o-0-o-

Freedom! The others filed past her as they all gulped down the cool night air. The lights of a city twinkled below them as a breeze played with River's hair.

"We're in Mochi Pidan, the southern capital of Ingta. We're at the top of Mount Pidan, at an elevation of 2,430 meters above sea level." Dormouse Havilland informed them.

"There's a path I can see, and there are no guards" Robert Hawker observed. She pointed. "There, behind the big boulder, there's an abandoned farmhouse we can hide in."

"Wh-" Leona Martin started to ask but was cut short by a bright beam of light, startling her.

"Halt! Put your hands up!" the harsh voice of the Night Watchman cut through the silence. They were caught.


	12. Chapter 12: Jolt

**A/N: I don't own any Fullmetal Alchemist Characters. Nor the concept of transmutations circles and alchemy. Now, to the story and beyond!**

"Sgt. Maury?" The golden-haired child hiccuped. Brigadier Gen. Mustang's eyebrows knitted together. He took a deep breath.

"Who's Sgt. Maury?" He asked slowly. The golden-haired girl rubbed her eyes and blinked, gulping for breath. A moment or two passed, with the child clearly taking in Mustang's appearance.

"I'm so sorry, sir. I thought you were her." The child hung her head in shame. Still clutching her sister's hand, she wiped away the last of her tears with her filthy, bloodstained undershirt. _It looks more like a prison jumpsuit_, thought Mustang, but he didn't say anything.

Edward turned to the golden-haired girl. Somehow, this scene seemed all too familiar to him.

"This is some pretty advanced alchemy," Ed stared up at the burned, blackened ceiling. "What… exactly did you do? I don't recognize this symbol here." He pointed to a double helix shape.

Milana hiccuped, tears spilling down her face as she clutched her dead sister's hand tighter. "I… I don't know…"

-o-0-o-

"Halt! Put your hands up!" The Night Watchman shouted. Hm, so they were going for a capture-not-kill stance. Interesting.

The night watchman walked closer, his shoes clacking on the cobblestone plaza. River's breath felt short; they were 2,340 meters above sea level, after all.

'_I'll get him while you all run_.' Millicent Gloster signed and ran towards the night watchman, then giving him a kick to the stomach and a punch to the face. Then there was a loud snap. The night watchman's body thudded softly. "Go, go, go!" Gloster whispered urgently.

River could hear her own footsteps pound softly across the cobblestone square, towards the tall wall that separated them from freedom. She jumped on Leona Martin's shoulders and scaled the wall easily, looked beyond it, and paled. There was a reason that wall was there. Her ears twitched towards the source of several more pairs of footsteps in the distance, echoing off the walls of the compound. Quickly. Havilland was hoisted up by River. She stood at the base of the wall, where a narrow path provided a little foothold. Then Tacey Junkers and Robert Hawker. By this time, footsteps were quickly nearing their area. Dianna Voss struggled to make it up the wall. They had about ten seconds. Gloster was hauled up. Five seconds.

"They're getting away!" a deep, baritone voice shouted.

Leona Martin was halfway up the wall, only held up by the team. Her feet scrambled to get traction on the wall. The team kept pulling. Something in Havilland's wrist popped. She hissed, her face ashen.

Suddenly, Martin's grip slacked. It was over.

"What of the others?" the deep voice asked.

"They are as good as dead. Nobody can survive the climb down."a reedy voice responded pompously.

River looked around. Junkers had tears in her eyes, As did Havilland and Gloster. River narrowed her eyes. They'd show them just how wrong they were.

-o-0-o-

"I… I don't know…" Milana hiccupped. It sounded like a petty excuse, but the truth was, she _really didn't know_. What she _did_ know was that those people had killed her sister. White-hot rage spread through her body.


	13. Chapter 13: Progress

**A/N: I don't own any Fullmetal Alchemist characters. I also don't own the concept of a transmutation circle, or alchemical symbols. Now to the ****story****and beyond!**

They'd show them just how wrong they were. As the officers' footsteps faded into the distance, River scanned the slope for possible pathways down.

"Where are we going to go?" Junkers whispered.

"Let's get down this mountain first." River replied. Boy, was it going to be hard. They had almost no light now, due to the wall blocking the newfangled electric light. Even though it was a full moon, it was also cloudy. Damn those Altostratus clouds.

"I see a path. Between the big, round rock and the small tree." Robert Hawker whispered.

"Where?" Tacey Junkers whispered back.

"There, it's on that big cliff face there…"

River stopped listening. She had found a patch of light on a piece of rock jutting out from the cliff face. A little alchemy couldn't hurt, could it? She found a smaller, softer rock and began quietly scratching a circle. It had to be efficient, because an inefficient circle produces more electricity and light. She didn't want to be seen.

She drew several alternating squares and a triangle in the middle, She drew a line through the triangle. The symbol for Earth. Then she drew a smaller circle with the alchemical symbol for rock inside. Crude, but usable. A dim, red glow emanated from the circle and cracks in the surrounding rock as her improvised platform slowly slid downwards with a _creak_. Everybody turned around. Seeing as she was smiling slightly, some of her team gave her quizzical looks. She formed the rock jutting out into a more stable braced cantilever, so it would support their weight.

"Get on!" She whispered, motioning with her head for them to get on. She also made walls for their impromptu elevator, so nobody would fall out. With a grinding noise, the party headed downwards.

-o-0-o-

The golden-haired girl grit her teeth and looked up at them, fire in her eyes. Mustang sucked in a breath. It was uncanny how this girl looked almost exactly like Edward. Same hair, same eyes, Heck, he wouldn't be surprised if she had a short complex, too!

"Where am I?"

"Amestris."The reply was out of his mouth before he could react. He could see Hawkeye's eyes darting from Edward, who was still staring at the ceiling, to the girl, who was now sitting on the table beside the pie, still holding her sister's hand.

"Amestris?" The girl questioned, a little bit of disbelief in her voice. "Where's that? I was a cream of the crop student in geography and I've never heard of it. She frowned.

"Amestris. South of Drachma, east of Creta, north of Aerugo, and west of Xing past the Great Desert."

"_Great Desert_? You mean the Sharara? That's the biggest, driest desert I know of. It extends from coast to coast," The girl _definitely_ sounded like Elric. "unless you mean Belgien, the so-called _Dessert_ Capital of Alexandria?" It was a wonder she could be so sassy when she still had a tear track on her face.

"Uh-" Before Mustang could speak, the girl continued.

"I've _never_ heard of any of these places. There are only so many deserts on Sklavia, you know. Although, Drachma sounds Rossiyan. But no, _where am I? _By golly, it's just a question!"

Ed looked at the girl. "You're in a different world," he said coldly. "You see that rectangle and all the marks in there, that is a portal. I think. Which means you're not going back anytime soon."


	14. Chapter 14: End

**A/N: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters. I also don't own the concepts of alchemy, and alchemists. **

River climbed out of the makeshift elevator. Her bare feet brushed up against leaves and soil; they hadn't been given shoes at the prison, only a shirt, trousers, and underclothes. She looked up and her heart sank. There was a clean line of unmarred stone going all the way up the mountain, as far as she could see. With her current knowledge, she could never make the cliff look like it was.

Shouts could be heard in the distance. It was inevitable. With the noise River's group made descending the mountain, it was a wonder they hadn't been spotted already. A bullet hit the stone next to her, barely missing her and Havilland, whose wrist had been bound in an impromptu splint during their descent.

"9 mm handgun. Close range. Alexandrian make-" Robert hawker began, but River interrupted her.

"Run!" Driven by fear, River ran like hell.

-o-0-o-

Milana Messerschmitt took a deep breath. She'd become acquainted with this strange group of people. Apparently, they operated on a strange principle of "Equivalent Exchange". _Well, it seems to be an alchemized version of treating people the way you want to be treated, or capitalism, or, well… I don't really know how to describe it._ Since she'd learned some of their stories, they thought it was only natural for her to share hers. Besides, that blond lady named Hawkeye (who looked immensely like Robert Hawker) seemed to have immense skill with the two pistols concealed in her dress. Also, the woman named Izumi Curtis scared the crap out of Milana. She didn't know why.

"So, what's your name?" The guy called Mustang asked. He was in the military, and a pretty high position, too.

"Milana. Milana Messerschmitt."

"That's a strange name." The blond brother, Edward, said. He wore his braid like she wore hers.

"Really?" Milana asked. "Because Mr. Flame Guy shares his surname with a type of horse."

It was Edward's turn to snort. "Hmm. I have a new insult."

"How did you end up coming through that portal?" Alphonse, the other brother, asked.

"Erm, I was forced through it." Milana gritted her teeth.

Mustang's eyes widened a fraction at this. "Why?"

"It was because I was convicted of "fraternizing with the public enemy", alchemists, so I was captured. Then used as an experiment."

-o-0-o-

River ran. And ran. And ran. She did not know how far, or how long. Bullets still pinged past her. She'd been shot twice already. Another bullet hit her. She saw the rest of her team ahead, hiding in a ditch next to a field of wheat. She wheezed. She turned left, away from them, hoping to draw her attackers away. It was too late. Something blew up and she knew there was no hope. She did not have time to scream as another bullet pierced her heart. She'd escaped death once, but she couldn't do it twice. A lifeless body thudded on a dusty dirt road.


	15. Epilogue

It had been several years. Milana was excited. Today was the day, now or never! She had all the ingredients, and the knowledge. She'd trained several years for this day! She placed her hands on the transmutation circle, smiling. Deep purple light issued forth. She just wanted to see her sister's smile again. Suddenly, black hands began to grab at her.

She was standing in a white void. A creepy voice echoed across its expanse. "Hello, Miss Al-che-mist~"

-o-0-o-

Edward had heard the scream. He raced to the little broom shed where Milana had been and opened the door. The stench of blood greeted him. A set of empty clothes lay on the floor, rapidly turning red from the blood pouring out of a blackened figure. It gasped once and died. Edward sank to the floor, sobbing.

~END~

**Hey, FennecOfTheDessert here! I just wanted to thank you for reading this st-**

**"Why he-llo, Fe-nnec-Of-The-Des-sert~"**

**FennecOfTheDessert: [turns around] Truth! What... Why are you here?**

**Truth: You are a ****_storyteller_****, Fen-nec-Of-The-Des-sert~ You should be repor-ting the ffactssss...**

**FennecOtTheDessert: What do you mean?**

**River Maury: Well-**

**FennecOfTheDessert: [Jumps up] WOAAH THERE! You're ****alive****?!**

**River: ****_Obviously._**** Your story is completely untrue. **

**Truth: Remember that Transmutation circle you activated earlier? Well, as payment you're gonna write the TRUE story.**

**River: What you're writing right now is Blandley's government propaganda. **

**FennecOfTheDessert: Well, I did research from the government's best library and all, so I guess the information was all biased.**

**River: You got it~**

**FennecOfTheDessert: Well, I guess I'm stuck here until I finish this story, right?**

**Truth: You got it~**

**River: Yeah, Look how many facts you got wrong. W****e did NOT die in a ditch...**

**FennecOfTheDessert: Okay okay okay okay I'm writing! I'm writing!**

**River: Although I like the title. You should keep it. **

**FennecOfTheDessert: Hm. Okay. I'm just gonna keep this story up for a week so my readers have closure. **

**River: With such lies?**

**Truth: Just start already~**

**FennecOfTheDessert: [types hurriedly]**

**(This is the actual end)**

**Please be sure to check out the actual story, with the same title!**


End file.
